Eli Lilly becomes first drugmaker to have a GLP-1 weight-loss pill approved in China

Eli Lilly on Thursday ‌became ​the first drugmaker to have a GLP-1 weight-loss pill approved in China, giving it an edge over Danish rival Novo Nordisk in the world's ‌second-largest pharmaceutical market. China has until now only approved GLP-1 medications for weight management in the form of injections.

Lilly's pill, orforglipron, will compete for market share in China with its own once-weekly GLP-1 weight-loss injection and rival injections ‌from Novo, Pfizer and local company Innovent Biologics. The GLP-1 class of drugs mimics a gut hormone to ‌curb appetite and regulate blood sugar in patients with diabetes.

Lilly says weight-loss pills could attract patients reluctant to use injections. Novo has also applied to sell the oral version of its Wegovy injection in China, along with other applicants with experimental GLP-1 weight-loss ⁠pills ​including Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals and ⁠Huadong Medicine.

Oral therapies account for about a third of US obesity prescriptions following the rollout of Novo's Wegovy pill in January this ⁠year, according to Novo presentations in September. China's National Health Commission has said the proportion of overweight or obese ​people in the country could reach more than 65% by 2030, up from roughly 50% in ⁠2020.

Annual sales of GLP-1 therapies for weight management in China could reach 30 billion yuan ($4.5 billion) in the next five to seven ⁠years, ​up from an estimated 3 billion yuan to 4 billion yuan at present, Yang Huang, J.P. Morgan's head of China healthcare research, has forecast. Lilly did not immediately respond to a request for ⁠comment on how it will price orforglipron in China or when it will be available.

What appeared to be ⁠a promotion for the ⁠drug was posted on a mobile app from Chinese e-commerce company JD.com on Thursday. A spokesperson for JD.com did not immediately respond to a request for comment.